Nigerian DJ and music producer Florence Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy, has donated £100,000 to the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) to support African graduate students at Oxford.
She announced this on her verified Instagram handle on Monday, stating that she aims to support future leaders from the continent.
She said, “Proud to launch the Cuppy Africa Oxford Fund! I just graduated from Oxford Uni and so this partnership means a lot to me…”
DJ Cuppy has recently completed her graduate studies in African Studies at the University of Oxford. She is one of the foremost DJs in Africa and has performed internationally, including at the MTV Africa Music Awards. She attended her graduation ceremony at the university earlier this year. Her philanthropic endeavours include supporting a range of organisations tackling critical issues such as child protection and education for girls and people with disabilities.
The Cuppy Africa Oxford Scholars Fund aims to support future leaders from the continent by enabling them to access the necessary skills, resources, and networks to maximise their impact across Africa and beyond. It will support African graduate students at the university to meet unexpected and urgent financial needs and undertake activities that will ensure the pursuit of excellence in their graduate studies.
AfOx is a cross-university platform with the vision to make engagement with Africa a strategic priority for Oxford. It is hosted by the Nuffield Department of Medicine’s Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health. A core focus of the initiative is to increase the number of African students pursuing postgraduate degrees at Oxford and ensure that they can thrive and excel before, during, and after their time here.
DJ Cuppy said, ‘‘I am so proud of this partnership that not only extends my relationship with Oxford University but empowers future generations to come. Having just graduated with an MSc degree in African Studies myself, I saw first-hand the variances in university life experiences for students originating from my continent, Africa. The fundamental role that the Cuppy Fund will play is to narrow resource gaps for those who need it the most so they can fully commit to pursuing the education they deserve. The opportunity to study at Oxford is an accomplishment, but one fully realised when you are able to complete your course.’’
The new Cuppy Africa Oxford Scholars Fund will offer additional support to the African Graduate Support Fund and enable AfOx to meet the needs of the most vulnerable students, including those with any form of disability and students with caring responsibilities.
Dr Anne Makena, Co-Director of AfOx, said: ‘‘We are absolutely delighted that Cuppy is so generously supporting African graduate students here at Oxford. We both share the experience of being African graduate students at Oxford, and it is a great honour for AfOx to partner with Cuppy to address some of the unique challenges that African students might encounter during their time at Oxford. The Cuppy Africa Oxford Scholars Fund will help to ensure that they have access to the best possible support to navigate and succeed at Oxford and continue to remarkable careers as champions of development in African countries and globally.’’
